At the opening of the 20th Party Congress on Sunday, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to steer Beijing towards the path of development and fulfilling the nationalistic vision amid the geopolitical rift with the Western nations. Jinping is slated to secure his third term in power that would seal his lifelong premiership. Xi focused mainly on three of his party’s policy priorities since he came to power in 2012—Hong Kong, Taiwan and most recently the zero-COVID-19 policy. As he took the stage in the Great Hall of the People, here are the key highlights from the Chinese president’s speech made to the nearly 2,300 delegates, all of whom were seen in masks barring the 25-member Politburo.
Communist Party’s strict zero-COVID policy
Xi on Sunday underscored the various challenges faced by his party, as he noted that the last five years have been “highly unusual and extraordinary,” according to the transcription of his speech by American broadcaster CNN. The Chinese leader argued that his leadership pulled Beijing out of many “grim and complex international situations” adding that many challenges and “huge risks” also lay ahead. While the Chinese population expressed fury at the strict zero COVID policy, Xi hailed his Party Congress as he defended the draconian law and praised the work of the CPC that he stressed has “protected people’s lives and health” during the pandemic.
“In the face of the sudden pandemic, we are committed to putting people and lives first, and adhere to dynamic zero-COVID,” Jinping was quoted as saying by CNN. He then rebuked of the West’s approach to the virus. “It has maximally protected people’s lives and health, and coordinated epidemic prevention and control with economic development,” he reportedly stated.
Hong Kong
Xi made remarks on the political situation in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong where the security forces have cracked down on the pro-democracy protesters under the sweeping national security law imposed in 2020. “In the face of the volatile and changing situation in Hong Kong, we have effectively exercised comprehensive governance over the special administrative region in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, and implemented the principle of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong,” Xi said. “The situation in Hong Kong has turned from chaos to governance,” he claimed. The Chinese president also noted that his party turned Hong Kong from “chaos to governance.”
Taiwan
China’s Xi Jinping, in a hardened tone, asserted that PRC will “strive for peaceful reunification” of the self-administered island of Taiwan. “We will never promise to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” he said, according to the transcription of his speech. China claims Taiwan as its own sovereign territory and has insisted that it would use coercion and force to unify the island with the mainland.
“In the face of serious provocations by the Taiwan independence separatists and the interference of external force, we resolutely carried out major struggles against separatism and interference, demonstrating our firm determination and strong ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose Taiwan independence force,” Xi emphasized. The latter also praised Russia’s “adherence to the one-China principle and stressed that Taiwan is a part of China.”
Further, he was quoted as saying that he has put forward “an overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, promote cross-strait exchange and cooperation, resolutely oppose Taiwan independence, resolutely oppose interference by external powers, and firmly grasp the dominance and initiative in cross-strait relations,” according to CNN’s translation. 2,300 delegates applauded the loudest inside the Great Hall of the People.
Xi’s vision of powerful military, global influence to counter US’ hegemony
Xi Jinping asserted that the Communist party was focused on strengthening its military might to tackle external threats. He vowed to turn the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a “world-class military.” The President of China also noted that China has had clear-cut geopolitical strategies as it has taken a stand against “hegemonism and power politics” publicly.
Beijing has “never wavered” in opposing unilateralism and “bullying,” Xi said without naming the United States. Further, Xi spoke about the issue of national security, stressing that he would apply a “holistic approach” and “set the party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era.”